Journal on Foodborne Diseases Launched

Posted on February 27, 2004

Ensuring the safety of the food supply and the formidable challenge of preventing foodborne illnesses such as mad cow disease, hepatitis A, and salmonella are growing global problems that have sparked the launch of a new scientific journal entitled Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The new publication will feature information on developments in the effort to combat foodborne pathogens and prevent related illnesses.

The Journal covers all aspects of food safety including public health, agricultural sciences, veterinary medicine, and food processing, and also describes the latest research findings and explores innovative tools and technologies in development. Topics will focus on recent advances, threats to the food supply such as bioterrorism, and reports of emerging and re-emerging foodborne pathogens.

"In the United States, an estimated 76 million people get sick, more than 300,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 Americans die each year from foodborne illnesses," said journal Editor Stephen P. Oliver, Ph.D., Professor of Animal Science & Co-Director of the Food Safety Center of Excellence at the University of Tennessee. "Food safety has been identified as an emerging public health hazard requiring immediate attention."

Foodborne Pathogens and Disease provides a forum for the cross-fertilization of ideas and strategies across diverse fields of science. Each issue will explore a broad spectrum of issues, including genetic modification, novel detection methods, and the emergence of drug resistance in foodborne pathogens. The new magazine also provides scientific research papers, review articles, editorials, and special reports on topics of interest. The quarterly will cover topics that include emerging pathogens, emergence of drug resistance, methods and technology for rapid and accurate detection, strategies to destroy or control foodborne pathogens in food production and processing, and development of novel strategies for the prevention and control of plant and animal diseases that impact food safety. The Journal will also include reviews and special reports on topics such as agroterrorism and the safety of organically grown and genetically modified foods.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is a privately held, media company known for peer-reviewed journals in new areas of science and biomedical research, including Biosecurity and Bioterrorism, Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, and Microbial Drug Resistance. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide.